Our Group Board

John Connolly, Non-executive director/chairman of the board

Non-executive director/Chairman of the board

Appointed June 2012

John Connolly has extensive experience working in a global business environment and in sectors with strategic relevance to the Group.

A chartered accountant, John spent his career until May 2011 with global professional services firm Deloitte, was Global Chairman between 2007 and 2011 and, prior to that, Global Managing Director between 2003 and 2007. He was Senior Partner and CEO of the UK Partnership from 1999 until his retirement from the firm.

Current external commitments: Director of a number of private companies.

Beyond commercial business roles, he is the chairman of the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity board of trustees.

Ashley Almanza, chief executive officer

Chief executive officer

Appointed May 2013

Ashley Almanza has extensive board and executive management experience in complex international businesses. He held a number of senior executive roles at BG Group from 1993 to 2012, including CFO from 2002 to 2011 and Executive Vice President from 2009 to 2012. As Executive Vice President he was accountable for BG Group’s UK, European and Central Asian businesses. He was a non executive director of Schroder plc 2011 to 2016.

He holds an MBA from London Business School.

Current external commitments: Non-executive director of Noble Corporation.
Board member of the Ligue Internationale des Sociétés de Surveillance.

John Daly, Non-Executive Director

Non-executive director

Appointed June 2015

John Daly has significant executive management experience in major international businesses with extensive knowledge of Asia and the Middle East. After an early career in sales and marketing with Schering-Plough, Pennwalt Corporation, Bristol-Myers Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson, he joined British American Tobacco (BAT) in 1994.

He held various executive leadership positions at BAT over the course of 20 years in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Most recent positions at BAT were chief operating officer (from 2010 to 2014) and Regional Director for Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong (from 2004 to 2010).
Current external commitments: Chairman of Britvic plc and non- executive director of Ferguson plc (formerly Wolseley plc)."

Winnie Kin Wah Fok, Non-executive director

Winnie Fok has extensive international board and senior management experience with extensive knowledge of Asian markets and strong involvement in Scandinavia.

An auditor by training, was involved in management positions in finance, audit and corporate advisory work and a wide range of roles in asset management firms investing with a focus in Asia. Senior partner of EQT and CEO of EQT Partners Asia Limited; managing director of CEF New Asia Partners Limited.
Current external commitments: Senior advisor to Wallenberg Foundations AB; non-executive director of Volvo Car Corporation; SEB AB and an investment committee member for the HOPU Investment Fund.

Steve Mogford, Non-executive/Senior Independent director

Steve Mogford has extensive experience of delivery of complex programmes in the defence, infrastructure and utilities market. Serving FTSE100 CEO.

After graduating in astrophysics, maths and physics, served a 30-year career with British Aerospace, later BAE Systems, during which time he held several senior management positions before being appointed chief operating officer, with particular responsibility for programmes, major projects and customer support, and a member of the BAE Systems plc board.

He was chief executive of SELEX Galileo, the defence electronics company owned by Italian aerospace and defence organisation Finmeccanica for four years prior to joining United Utilities Group plc (a UK based water and wastewater service company) in 2011 as CEO.
Current external commitments: CEO of United Utilities Group PLC.

Paul Spence, Non-executive director

Paul Spence has in-depth knowledge of outsourcing in both the public and private sectors and extensive international experience in key developing countries such as India, China and Brazil.

A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics and decision sciences; served a 30-year career with Capgemini and its predecessors. Having started in the US and become managing partner of mid-Atlantic information and technology for Ernst & Young, he went on to gain significant international experience for 16 years as managing partner of Ernst & Young Consulting Australia, CEO of Capgemini Ernst & Young in Asia and CEO Capgemini Ernst & Young UK.

He then spent eight years serving on Capgemini’s executive management committee during which time his roles included deputy group CEO and CEO of Capgemini Global Outsourcing Services.

Clare Spottiswoode, Non-executive director

Non-executive director

Appointed June 2010

Clare Spottiswoode has considerable experience in the public sector, the energy markets and the financial services sector.

A mathematician and economist by training, worked for the UK Treasury, director general of Ofgas, the UK gas regulator; policyholder advocate for Norwich Union’s with-profits policyholders at Aviva and a member of the Independent Commission on Banking and the Future of Banking Commission.

Current external commitments: Non-executive director of Ilika plc, BW Offshore Limited and Just Group plc as well as being a director of a number of private companies.

Barbara Thoralfsson, Non-executive director

Non-executive director

Appointed July 2016

Barbara Thoralfsson has international executive and senior management experience and strong knowledge of North America, Latin America, Scandinavia and Asia.

After an early career in marketing, held senior management roles in the consumer goods and telecommunications sectors including CEO of NetCom ASA, Norway’s second largest mobile network operator between 2001 and 2005. She holds an MBA in marketing and finance from Columbia University in New York and a BA in psychology from Duke University in North Carolina.
Current external commitments: Non- executive chair of ColArt Holdings Limited and non-executive director of Norfolier Greentec AS, Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA (publ), Essity Aktiebolag (publ) and Hilti AG.

Tim Weller, chief financial officer

Chief financial officer

Appointed April 2013 as a non-executive director and chief financial officer since October 2016.

Tim Weller brings significant experience of the energy and utilities sectors. An accountant by training, he joined KPMG in 1985, rising to partnership in 1997 before joining Granada plc as director of financial control.

Between 2002 and 2010, he gained significant further experience in the energy and utilities sectors holding CFO positions with Innogy (one of the UK’s leading integrated energy companies at the time), RWE Thames Water (the world’s third largest water and wastewater service company) and United Utilities Group PLC (a UK-based water and wastewater service company). He was CFO of Cable & Wireless Worldwide plc between 2010 and 2011 and CFO of Petrofac Limited (the international oil and gas service provider) between 2011 and October 2016.

Current external commitments: Non-executive director of the Carbon Trust.

Creating and maintaining an effective board culture is vital to ensuring good decision making, healthy debate and challenge and also to set the tone for the rest of the organisation.

selection process

A key element of the selection process for each new board member is to assess whether a particular candidate will bring the right level of challenge, independence and openness. The result is a board where members are both challenging but also supportive of each other.